


Material Things

by BoltedBee



Series: KOStar Holiday Adventures [1]
Category: Transformers - All Media Types, Transformers: Prime
Genre: Fluff, Gen, Hoarding, Humor, M/M, Mystery if you squint, Oral Sex, Starscream being adorable, Sticky Sexual Interfacing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-26
Updated: 2016-04-17
Packaged: 2018-05-09 10:32:30
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,326
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5536595
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BoltedBee/pseuds/BoltedBee
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>As humans celebrate the cold weather, the Vehicons aboard the Nemesis lament it as the bedding from their berths mysteriously go missing. Meanwhile, Starscream is nowhere to be found and Knock Out takes it upon himself to look for him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Rated for robot cursing. May add more if I can find reason/inspiration to continue.  
> This originally started as a chibi pic I drew months ago and just recently decided to make it a fic. I was almost afraid I wouldn't get it done in time for Christmas but here it is at last.  
> Written for a friend who loves this pairing as well as I do.

Things were unusually upbeat on the Nemesis. Well, aside from the usual start of battle formations when the Autobots appeared or when energon was discovered, or lately, when the drones started loudly complaining about their missing sheets from their quarters. Not to Knock Out directly, of course. What could he do about it? And why would he care? It was just somewhat idle conversation he heard among the drones as he passed by. It was unfortunate for them, as the temperature on this Primus-forsaken rock was dropping, and frozen precipitation was falling and covering the ground below in white fluff. Despite the dismal change in weather, the humans seemed to be celebrating it: they decorated seemingly EVERYTHING in bright lights, from the flora to buildings, and from what he could tell, listening to cheery, repetitive, downright obnoxious music; strange and even lewd songs about “Sanna Claws”, “jingle bells”, and “merry Christmas”, whoever that was. What made it worse was that the drones who weren’t complaining were actually listening to it themselves, fragging _singing_ it even!

What was even more strange to Knock Out of late was that he hadn’t seen Starscream in what seemed like days. Unless given direct orders from Megatron, the seeker seemed to disappear completely.

Knock Out had finally decided to go and look for Starscream, since the air commander was ignoring his comm-link. The only two mechs who would really know where Starscream was – being Megatron and Soundwave – were coincidentally the only two mechs he didn’t want to talk to, so adventuring it was. Starscream was still on the clock by Knock Out’s last check, but was at none of his usual stations and he wasn’t on scouting duty, so the seeker _should_ be on the ship. Should.

The medic spent some-odd twenty cycles perusing the corridors, passing a handful of vehicons on the occasion – half of them singing holiday songs, the other half complaining about their missing linen. After encountering about three groups of the former and hissing at them to “shut their pit-spawn mouths with that human garbage” – effectively dispersing them elsewhere - Knock Out was close to calling it quits on looking for Starscream. Then he thought, obvious as it should have been, maybe Starscream just wanted to be away from all the noise. This time, the red mech took a more certain, familiar path.

Knock Out stopped at the door to the quarters he visited occasionally and tapped it a few solid times. “Starscream?” He heard movement, ruffling, and possibly an uttered curse or two. He knocked again. “Starscream-”

“Go away!” he heard. Besides the door between him, Starscream sounded more muffled than he should have.

“Is everything alright?” Knock Out persisted, “I haven’t seen you in days.”

Silence.

…

More ruffling.

And then silence. Knock Out had had enough.

“I’m coming in,” he said, tapping in the code to Starscream’s quarters before any possible objections could stop him.

The door slid open and suddenly everything made sense. Starscream was nowhere in sight, but there _was_ a very large mass of extra bedding that twitched occasionally on top of the berth with a few extra blankets scattered around the room. Knock Out tried oh-so-hard to stifle his snickering. The sight before him explained the absence of Starscream, the muffled voice, and where the blankets from several vehicons’ own rooms had gone.

“I shouldn’t be surprised,” Knock Out said, loud enough for the seeker to hear him under all that matting. The mass wiggled again, this time a pair of talons cleared the way to reveal two very bright but very annoyed optics staring back at the red mech. Knock Out ignored the angry look and casually plopped down next to the blanket fort. “Starscream. Are you cold?”

“No!” the muffled seeker said.

“Well, I guess you wouldn’t be now, would you, darling?” Knock Out teased. He heard a growl but continued on, “Still, it isn’t very nice to steal things from the drones. They’ve been complaining for ages about it and Megatron at least has been getting quite tired of it.” Really it had been more like a week or so but listening hearing them constantly complain had become grating.

“Like I care,” Starscream scoffed.

“I know you don’t, but it doesn’t do well for morale if all the drones are unhappy. They _are_ the majority of our fighting force.” Knock Out leaned in closer to listen for a response. There might have been words in it but Starscream could have been deliberately mumbling so Knock Out couldn’t hear him. Such a sparkling. The medic sighed and leaned on the lump of linen, making it flinch slightly. “Starscream, just give them back their blankets. If you’re this prone to being cold… I, at the very least, can recharge with you and keep you warm. How does that sound?”

Yet another stretch of silence passed. Then Starscream almost whined, and turned to Knock Out. “But it’s so comfortable in here.”

Knock Out scoffed affectionately, though amused at the absurd levels of adorable Starscream was being. He shook his pointed helm as he thought of a compromise. Knockout moved in close to what was visible of the seeker’s face, “We’ll keep the blankets one more night. On one condition,” he said, carefully pulling the topmost sheets from Starscream’s helm. “You have to share them with me tonight.”

This was hardly a compromise. Admittedly, Starscream had only sought relief from the planet’s frigid cold and had otherwise ignored everyone he could, including the one mech on this accursed ship he well and truly liked. Maybe that was unfair. Maybe another frame next to him was warmer than a pile of blankets on top of him. The extra frame was so nice any other time, and not just for warmth. He’d made his decision.

“Fine,” Starscream sighed dramatically. “If I must.” The seeker pushed several of the blankets he cocooned himself with aside to let Knock Out in.

“You’re too kind,” Knock Out replied, still so amused by Starscream’s antics, his attitude, even his relentless arrogance even when he was beaten at silly games. He sidled up next to that ridiculous mech, pulling the blankets back around them and wrapping his arms around Starscream’s waist, pulling him close. “See? This isn’t so bad, is it?” he asked, an almost smug but light-sparked grin plastered on his pale face.

“No, I suppose not,” Starscream said, returning the gesture and ignoring what was surely not extra warmth creeping onto his faceplates. Leaving most of his pride outside the blanket-fort, Starscream leaned more heavily on Knock Out, burying his too-warm face in the grounder’s neck and sighing. “This is fine.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The morning after and what comes next.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A friend's fault this one-shot became two chapters, now with smut.

Knock Out had come out of recharge first. He felt warm, comfortable, and overall relaxed. Next to him still was Starscream, who he’d try to convince to relinquish all the stolen blankets he’d accrued in his quest for warmth. The seeker actually looked serene in his sleep; it was a nice contrast to his usually dour demeanor when he was awake. Knock Out enjoyed these small but blessed moments. He knew, sadly, that they soon had to come to an end. Starscream had, after all, given Knock Out his word that he’d return the pilfered blankets to the drones. But as Knock Out and everyone else knew, Starscream’s “word” didn’t mean much.

After a few extra moments of admiring his berthmate, Knock Out decided it was time to test the resolve of Starscream’s word. The medic took one hand to, first move away blankets that started to weigh down between them, and brush against Starscream’s face, making him immediately flinch but not move away from the light affection. Starscream sighed, placing his own servo over Knock Out’s arm, then attempting to go back to recharge.

“Starscream,” Knock Out said, his voice laced with something sweet. “Time to get up.” Starscream responded with a noise Knock Out assumed was a “no”. The blankets weren’t going to return themselves, so he kept trying. “Come, now. You promised to give the drones their sheets back, didn’t you?”

The seeker sighed more heavily. “I promised nothing,” he said, sleepily pushing away the affectionate servo that rested on his neck.

Knock Out didn’t let Starscream’s obstinacy or coldness bother or deter him. He propped himself up with one elbow. “So you’re just going to lay here all day, then?” Starscream nodded. Knock Out rolled his optics. He’d have to move on to plan B, in the likely case that Starscream would change his mind. Knock Out took his time as he pushed the remaining blankets off him, but rather than moving off the berth, he moved down it, shoving away more blankets to reveal Starscream’s lower half. Starscream immediately whined and tried to curl himself up but Knock Out was faster, taking the seeker’s knees and pulling them open, tapping one impatient digit on Starscream’s valve panel.

Starscream opened it despite the rough treatment and Knock Out wasted no time in burying his face in Starscream’s valve. The seeker let out an almost startled moan. Knock Out lapped hungrily at Starscream’s wet slit, occasionally prodding the leaking hole, nearly teasing. Starscream squirmed as his valve was eaten; Knock Out keeping a firm hold on silver thighs on either side of his helm. The seeker pushed away the remaining blankets that covered him, the linen keeping the rising heat trapped underneath, but keeping claws firmly tangled in them. Knock Out gave one last, hard suck on Starscream’s clit before pulling back and sitting on his heels. Starscream’s optics finally fully shuttered online and focused on the medic in front of him. Starscream was between a whine at the loss of contact and a growl at the all-too-smug look on the grounder’s face. He settled for a glare and a very angry “Why did you stop?!”

“Are you finally awake?” Knock Out asked, wiping the seeker’s lube from his face.

“You- why-“ Starscream sputtered as he closed his legs.

“You can have the rest when you return the blankets,” Knock Out said. He wiped his servos on a convenient sheet (probably a drone’s) and stood from the bed, stretching. He smirked to himself, fully expecting the seeker to protest some more. Knock Out was surprised by the sudden movement behind him. Starscream was finally ready to keep his word: he gathered the extraneous fabrics into a pile, then sliding off the berth to pick up the remaining few on the floor. Knock Out watched him, perhaps more closely as Starscream bent over. He could have sworn he heard grumbled complaints from the seeker, but he let it go, instead helping gather the sheets.

After another minute of relative silence, Starscream laid the last bits of bedding onto one of the piles, giving Knock Out a sideways glance but not meeting his optics. This did not go unnoticed.

“Are we ready?” Knock Out asked.

“Yes,” Starscream grumbled.

The two each picked up a pile of blankets, walking them outside and to their original owners.

Or so Knock Out thought.

Knock Out had assumed the two of them would be giving back the sheets to each drone, but instead, Starscream began dropping each piece, one by one, onto the floor as they walked. Knock Out stepped around the discarded linen, eyeing them as he did so.

“Ah, Starscream-“

“If they want them back so badly, they can come retrieve them themselves,” Starscream said, still dropping blankets without missing a beat.

“Wasn’t the deal to _return_ the blankets?” Knock Out asked, still holding on to his pile of linen.

“We _are_ returning them. Indirectly, of course.” Knock Out gave the other mech a look, making Starscream roll his optics. “You didn’t honestly think I, Commander Starscream, would go to each individual drone to give them things they should be considered lucky to even have at all?”

“Even if it belonged to them in the first place?”

“That’s not the point!” Starscream argued. Knock Out only chuckled in response.

Hearing the bickering, the drones were slowly coming in from doorways and corridors to see what the fuss was about, only to see blankets littered about the floor. One by one, drones appeared around corners looking around for their pilfered linen – not that they looked any different from the others, but the bots thought otherwise, picking up and holding up each discarded blanket for inspection. The two culprits kept walking and kept dropping blankets every so often to space them out, never once looking back at what was surely a hallway full of angry glares. Apparently the holiday spirit in them had dissipated.

Though, feeling the surely-heated visors of the drones, Starscream scoffed, “I hope they don’t expect me to apologize.”

“Only a fool would expect that of you, _Lord_ Starscream,” Knock Out said. The stress on the title only seemed to make the jet more upright and alert. “Besides, it’s not like anything you took was from Soundwave or something.” At the corner of his optic, Knock Out could have sworn he’d seen Starscream flinch at that. … Wait. “Starscream. You didn’t…”

“Didn’t what??” Starscream snapped.

“None of these are _Soundwave’s_ blankets, are they?”

“Don’t be ridiculous!” Starscream sputtered, “That was too difficult…”

“Oh, so you DID try to-“

“Shush!”

Knock Out snickered. “What made you change your mind?”

Starscream shook his head in frustration. “I- ah, didn’t see Ravage when I went in. Nearly stepped on the stupid thing’s tail…” he grumbled.

“Did he notice?”

“Offline to the world.”

“How lucky for you.”

“Yes, I’m sure if Megatron had found out, he’d-“ Starscream shuddered, shaking his head, not wanting to continue that thought; instead continuing to drop blankets as he walked. Knock Out kept the pace, but didn’t say anything for a moment, though he did notice the slight dip in Starscream’s wings. Even if the bombastic jet was silent, the movement in his wings was telling. Knock Out – everyone on the ship, really – saw the dynamics of Starscream and Megatron’s “relationship”, if it could so be called. Starscream’s abuse was always on display and after so many years; no misdemeanor was too small for Megatron to lash out at the seeker. Bots started to think their commander secretly wanted it, as his plots to overthrow Megatron were so easily thwarted by the universe. He said nothing for the time being, and the two of them walked the corridors in silence, finally leaving the last of the discarded blankets where they lay.

After a brief moment and all the blankets were strewn about the hallways, Knock Out finally broke the somewhat depressing silence that hung over them. “My place or yours?”

That finally seemed to break Starscream from his distraction. “Y-yours. I’m not about to go back the way we came.” He wasn’t looking at Knock Out. Of course he didn’t want to deal with the accusing glares, no matter how little the drones meant to him.

Knock Out’s clawed digits grazed Starscream’s as a gesture to follow; he continued their trek, this time toward the med-bay in an adjacent room. As they had reached their destination, Starscream immediately made his place on the edge of Knock Out’s berth, still not looking at him. The medic went to sit beside the brooding mech without a word, until Starscream finally broke the silence.

“Are you going to finish what you started?” Starscream asked, casting a sideways and almost deviant grin in Knock Out’s direction. He was more than pleased to see that look on his commander’s lovely face again.

“Certainly, my lord. How would you like it?” Knock Out asked.

Starscream lay back in the berth, making a show of spreading his legs. “Just as you left off, Doctor.”

Knock Out grinned, his engines revving as he positioned himself comfortably between Starscream’s legs. The seeker opened his valve panel with a soft sigh, Knock Out’s following suit as he buried his face in Starscream’s wet, succulent folds, lapping and sucking eagerly at everything he could get his mouth on. Starscream moaned, and his back arched with every other trace of Knock Out’s glossa on his valve; along the anterior node, inner lips, and even probing the moist opening. He was the tastiest of treats that Knock Out would never tire of, and his enthusiasm for devouring Starscream’s valve showed it. The overabundance of squirming from his commander was the only thing slowing – then stopping - his pace.

“Something wrong?” he huffed impatiently.

“Ah-“ Starscream hesitated, as a sticky string of lubricant from his valve to Knock Out’s mouth disconnected him from his lover distracted him a moment.

“Yes?” Knock Out inquired, resting his helm against Starscream’s thigh, using his thumb to toy with the seeker’s anterior node while he waited.

“I just- ahh- thought we could-“ Starscream whined again, but not to keep either of them waiting; “switch positions?” he asked.

“Mm, you want to sit on my face?”

“I meant sit on your spike…” Starscream said, a bit flustered.

For a moment, Knock Out looked genuinely surprised. Though they’d interfaced before, the medic always explicitly asked for Starscream’s permission, knowing the other had issues with consent, and that was for a handful of reasons Knock Out didn’t want to get into. “Are you sure?” Knock out asked, kissing the inside of Starscream’s thigh.

“Yes,” the seeker sighed.

Knock Out moved immediately, hastily but with a surgeon’s care, changed their positions so that Starscream was straddling him. A brief moan escaped his lips before Starscream caught them, trapping them in his own, finally thrusting his hips into Knock Out’s and riding him, taking the red mech’s spike just as he wanted: at his own pace. Knock Out kept either arm above and below his lover’s wings, keeping him pulled in close while keeping up their almost hurried rhythm. The cacophony of noises their frames made together was drowned out by the symphony of pleasure that left their vocalizers as they closed in on their respective peaks. Starscream sat up, bracing himself on Knock Out’s chassis, digging sharp talons into his seams to ride him that much harder. Knock Out’s servos deferred to Starscream’s hips as he pumped his hips into the soaked, velvety heat, completely loving of the copious amounts of pink lubricant staining his thighs.

“Knock Out,” Starscream whimpered, offlining his optics.

“Yes, love?” Knock Out said, his voice barely above a whisper.

“So- ngh- close…”

Knock Out places both servos on either side of the seeker’s lovely face, making him online his optics. “Come for me, beautiful.”

Starscream moaned, almost effeminately, as his valve calipers clamped around Knock Out’s spike as the seeker came; his overload wracking his entire frame: back arched and wings twitching, almost-clear cum gushing from his valve. Knock Out kept a firm grip on Starscream’s hips with his own orgasm, only biting back his noises to hear Star’s. The two slumped together in an exhausted heap, holding each other close, and EM fields mingling together lazily. Starscream was glad he’d kept his word.

“So,” Knock Out started, after several cycles, “was it worth it?”

“Hmm?” Starscream hummed.

“Returning the blankets.”

“Oh.”

Another several moments of silence passed over the mechs. Though Knock Out felt content gliding his servos up and down the seeker’s frame, his question remained in the air, unanswered.

“Starscream.”

The mentioned mech flinched - and almost scoffed - but finally answered; “Fine! It was worth it!” Starscream confessed, his claws once again finding purchase in Knock Out’s seams, he sat upright before leaning into his lover’s porcelain face. “But keep this to yourself,” he said, his inflection holding no real malice.

Knock Out chuckled, one again bringing a servo to Starscream’s face. “Of course, my liege.”

“Good,” Starscream said, nuzzling into the affectionate hand. His wings lowered and his field warmed. Such a happy seeker. Such was Knock Out’s privilege to have.

“Much better than some material things, yes?” he asked, a genuine smile gracing his lips.

“Yes,” Starscream purred, “so much better.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been working on this chapter for several weeks but illness has kept me from it that much longer. I almost feel it's too cheesy but, I hope you've enjoyed. Feel free to leave comments and crits.

**Author's Note:**

> The alternate description for this story I thought of:  
> Twas the night before Christmas,  
> And all through the Nemesis,  
> Not a Decepticon was stirring,  
> Except for Starscream because he was stealing blankets from the drones.
> 
> First time I've really written a not-OC fic, haha. Let me know what you think; comments, criticisms, tell me your feels. Merry and happy whatever you celebrate.


End file.
